ifi-audio pro iCAN - any thoughts?

iFi audio · Apr 28, 2019

Armaegis said: ↑

And see, I respect you guys for taking that. I've reviewed other stuff before and have had some manufacturers insist on vetting the review before I posted it, or telling me that I needed to change certain phrases, or take "better" pictures, etc.
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We ask reviewers to fix ONLY technical wrongs in their work if there are any. And even if so, this happens when we see the result published. Other than that, we never insist or pressure in any way. That's not our style.

NightPhotographer · Jul 8, 2019

Torq said: ↑

iFi Audio - Pro iCAN Impressions

View attachment 6486

General Notes:

Because this is already going to be quite a long post, I’m going to break my impressions down into a couple of separate posts. The first of those (this one) will be the bulk of my impressions of the iCAN itself; the second will be a detailed comparison specifically to the Jotunheim and Lyr 2 (in both tube and LISST configurations). Why call out Jotunheim and Lyr 2 separately? Well, beyond wanting to get this posted, there’s another factor that’ll become clear towards the end of this post.

My initial impressions were formed using a loaner Pro iCAN unit (that had some number of burn-in hours on it). Excepting comparisons to Schiit’s Jotunheim and Lyr 2, all commentary is based on that loaner unit. Most comparison/commentary is based on listening via Abyss, Utopia, HD800S and LCD-4, sourced via Schiit Yggdrasil (AES via Auralic Aries/RedNet 3) and Holo Audio Spring DAC (microRendu -> Singxer SU-1 -> I2S). Redbook lossless files or “better”. I'll break this down a bit in a follow-up if there's interest.

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Other thoughts …

I don’t put much stock in more-than-minimal burn-in. If that’s a real factor, manufacturer’s or dealers are welcome to burn-in units before I listen to them. Otherwise, they’ll generally be evaluated as-is. For what it’s worth, I’ve never personally heard something I didn’t like initially become something I did like after XX(X)-hours “burn-in”.

I will, variously, refer to the iFi Audio Pro iCAN as just “iCAN”, “Pro iCAN” (and maybe* “Susan”) … hopefully this won’t prove too confusing as I am not including listening impressions about any other iFi products, such as the iFi Micro iCAN or iCAN SE in these notes.

Finally, I expect to add to this a little post initial “publication”. I want to get “it out there” before my holiday plans/travel take me away. But there is more I want to add (e.g. extra detail/comparison to my other high-end amps, and specific thoughts on pairings with my list of headphones) … including some thoughts on the upcoming Electrostatic Energizer designed to work in conjunction with the Pro iCAN.

Quick Personal Thoughts on iFi Audio:

iFi Audio’s products are often highly-multifunctional. This can be both a boon, or a bit of a boondoggle, especially from a value perspective. There’s always some differentiation, but there’s also often a sizeable degree of overlap in utility or application.

For example, if you wanted to build a small stack of iFi “Pro” series components, say the Pro iCAN and the upcoming** Pro iDSD DAC, you’ll wind up, effectively, paying for two headphone amplifiers, as the iDSD will include both solid-state and dual-mode tube driven headphone outputs. Great if you just want the iDSD, but not as good, from a value perspective, if you have the Pro iCAN and only ever used the iDSD as a DAC.

I’m not a big fan of iFi Audio’s marketing/sales copy. While I don’t believe they are claiming anything that isn’t true, at least as long as you read the fine print, there’s a certain style and approach to it that just rubs me the wrong way. It’s good for a chuckle, but often misses out on communicating some genuinely interesting/useful information – which is true of the manuals as well, as it happens, but the short version here is to take it with a grain, or a pinch, of salt.

About the Pro iCAN:

In typical iFi style, this is a very versatile piece of kit. This makes it quite interesting and involved to properly evaluate and it also makes assessing value quite tricky (something I’ll come back to a bit later). At its core it’s a compact, high-power single-ended and balanced headphone amplifier and proper-pre-amp, with selectable tube/solid-state input stages and variable gain suitable for super-sensitive IEMs all the way up to the HE-6. To that, it adds tweakable bass and soundstage settings (implemented differently for speakers and headphones).

Solid-State and Tubes:

One example of the Pro iCAN’s versatility is that it combines switchable solid-state and tube amplification (with two selectable levels of feedback). This is its most interesting feature for me; I think it’s worth spending a moment or two looking at what this actually means (it’s not immediately obvious from the product page).

It is the INPUT stage that is switchable between tube and solid-sate operation. The 2nd and power stages are pure solid-state. And when in tube mode you can choose your level of feedback, which has the effect of altering the distortion numbers significantly. By the numbers, just switching from solid-state to tube barely moves the distortion figures (from 0.0015% to 0.002% THD); going into “Tube+” mode increases this six-fold to 0.012%). I’ll come back to what this means from an audible perspective shortly, but for now it’s enough to say that the difference between solid-state and tube mode is more subtle than between tube and tube-plus mode.

Outputs and Connectivity:

Another area of flexibility is the number of output options on offer. Both single-ended and balanced outputs are available, and with multiple connection options:

For balanced connections, which is my preference, you can use a single 4-pin XLR connection, dual 3-pin XLR connections (how I’m running it at the moment), dual 6.3mm (1/4”) TRS connections (not dissimilar to the “Pono”, but with full-size jacks instead), or with a 3.5mm TRRS connection.

Single-ended outputs are also represented via two 6.3mm (1/4”) TRS jacks (use the right-hand connector if you’re only running one headphone) and a 3.5mm TRS socket. As a bonus, iFi Audio’s “IE Match” capability is built into both of the 3.5mm (1/8”) connections, which is rather useful if you want to run sensitive IEMs off the thing.

In other words, unless it has an RSA/ALO plug on the end, or is electrostatic (more on that in a bit), you’re going to be hard pressed to find something you can’t connect directly to the Pro iCAN.

Drive and Power:

The Pro iCAN has lots of this.

However, this is one area in which I think the marketing copy is, shall we say: “a bit over exuberant”. The claim of 14 watts of output power is, per iFi Audio, a very-short-term (milliseconds) peak. I don’t appreciate claims of that nature and feel it casts an unnecessarily questionable pall over a product that doesn’t need such hyperbole to be convincing.

That said, there’s plenty of power here. It drives my Abyss, LCD-4, HD800S and Utopia with great authority. Only my WA5-LE, in high-power mode (7.5 watts into 200 ohms), exhibits a noticeably stronger grip on those drivers. Think in terms of “You! Here … NOW!” and you’ll get the idea. Only the Abyss has warranted switching from low-gain to medium, and even that’s not strictly necessary, I just find it’s a bit more dynamic that way.

This is a VERY long-winded way of saying that I cannot imagine an existent headphone or IEM that the Pro iCAN would not be able to drive completely convincingly.

While I’m on the subject of power, I’m going to touch on amplifier implementation momentarily …

Most of the description/commentary on the Pro iCAN talks about the class-A power stage. It’s really more “proper” to describe it as class A/B but with VERY heavy bias into class A operation. That bias is so heavy, in fact, that unless you’re trying to frag some very low impedance cans, you’re unlikely to move out of class-A operation. The unit runs suitably warm as a result (31c/88f); not quite Ragnarok (43c/109f) or Lyr 2 “warm”, but warm nonetheless.

This is mostly irrelevant, since it’s how the thing sounds that is (or should be) most important here, but just before I get to that there are a couple of other features I should touch on …

X-Bass:

This is billed as a “bass correction system” rather than as “bass-boost” or some kind of tone control. It is, like everything else on the Pro iCAN, implemented purely in the analog domain. It has four settings, from “off” (where it is completely out of the audio-path) and then 10, 20 and 40 Hz settings which, somewhat strangely, don’t correlate directly to where the adjustment occurs.

It’s a lot more useable and subtle than the on/off implementation in iFi’s Micro iDSD BL, but how much actual use it is, in real terms, is going to depend on a number of factors – including the composition of your total chain (your cans in particular) and the music you’re listening too.

With the Abyss or LCD-4 it’s just unnecessary. In fact, with the LCD-4, it’s bordering on obnoxious. It’s just not necessary. This is not a bass-shy amp.

With the HD800S it does have some value. It’s a bit hard to assess real bass-quality-impact with the HD800S due to the innate distortion at that end of the frequency spectrum those cans exhibit, and having HD800 would make it easier to assess. Maybe I’ll get to compare those in the near future.

There’s a lot less bleed into the mid and upper-bass with this implementation than with the Micro iDSD BL version. But it can muddy things in some situations.

So, a useful feature, but one that ultimately I’ve found myself just turning off and not missing it.

3D+:

Think of this as a cross between cross-feed and a sound-stage expander. And note that it is implemented rather differently for the headphone outputs vs. the pre-amp outputs!

There is a limit as to how “3D” of a presentation that headphones can yield. The Sennheiser HD800(S) and Abyss do a significantly better job here than the LCD-4 or Utopia, but they’re all still relatively (or completely) “flat” compared to a half-decent speaker setup.

I’d be lying if I said this didn’t have an immediate, and obvious, effect on most tracks and with all the headphones I used while listening to the iCAN. It is, by no means, always beneficial – but it is always audible. In some cases all you get is a sense of slight lower-treble lift (good with the LCD-4, less so with the HD800S or Utopia). In others - the stage changes, sometimes quite markedly.

With 3D+ off (again, it’s totally out of the circuit in this state), and via headphones, the general presentation is “right at my eyes” and pretty much wrapped around my face, but with pretty good left-to-right delineation there … I wouldn’t describe it as “three blob”.

Progressively engaging 3D+ has two effects … first it moves the presentation a little further in front of my face with each increment; second, it warps the image outwards from the edges. By which I mean the extreme left and right sides of the image are increasingly further forward, the stage widens somewhat and the sense of depth increases slightly.

Below, is a crude illustration of what I’m trying to describe:

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That’s with headphones … now for speakers …

Things are handled differently via the pre-outs – in other words the processing (all still analog) is different on those outputs and is biased towards speaker systems. The stage is already very convincing via my speaker rig and the 3D+ setting really doesn’t do anything there but exaggerate things somewhat unnaturally in my rig. If you have a setup that has a narrow and shallow stage, this function might be very entertaining, but for me - I’d rather leave it off. It resulted in a progressively wider image, but with slight diffusion of the sound and a reduction in tonal density.

Gain:

Not much to say here … three settings, “low” is AMPLE for most cans. Short of HE-6 or AKG-1000 it’s hard to imagine needing more than “medium”. Even Abyss is quite impressive on “low”, though I generally wound up punching that up to “medium”.

NOW THEN!

So … this might be a, somewhat unfortunate, record ... 1,900 or so words and I haven’t started to talk about how the bloody thing SOUNDS! Let’s fix that right now …

Sound:

In a word, excellent.

While there is a definite signature, vs. my normal references, the presentation is entirely agreeable and generally quite impressive. This remains true for all three operating modes (herein referenced as SS, Tube and Tube+).

My very first impressions, upon first power-up, were of a darker rendering with a high-degree of tonal density. I don’t mean congestion here … articulation and detail were both immediately very good, but there was a definite “weight” or “density” to how the music was presented. This was delivered without any lack of speed or detail. Perhaps “solidity” is a good term here. The music has body, depth, presence, and power – yet things remain quite effortless in their delivery.

Schiit’s Ragnarok, in comparison, is a little more open and a little more forward. Post-power-on “air” definitely favors Ragnarok here.

While the sense of “darkness” and “density” abates a little after a bit of warm-up time, it is, I feel, characteristic to the presentation of the Pro iCAN. I don’t find this to be a negative thing and wouldn’t go as far as to call it a “dark sounding” amp, just “darkER” than my others. It was never bothersome. But, again, at first-power-on, it’s an immediately noticeable thing. If you’ve ever heard any of the RSA amps, the DarkStar in particular, it’s weight, signature and density of tone is initially very similar … yet still manages to be more vivid overall.

Tonal Profile:

Neutral/Neutral-Dark. Beyond that slight slant, there’s no real emphasis anywhere in the FR spectrum. Bass is portrayed with suitable weight, articulation (very evident with the Abyss) and authority. The mid-range is detailed, nuanced and fluid. Treble is inflected, subtle, with the merest hint of “solid-state sheen” (as opposed to “steel”) in solid-state mode, with brass/cymbals, but otherwise quite realistic.

This profile doesn’t vary much regardless of which “mode” you’re running the iCAN in. I think that’s a good thing. Tonality really doesn’t change among SS/Tube/Tube+ modes, although “richness” does.

Resolution, Detail and “Plankton”:

Excellent.

Nothing is getting covered up or smeared over here. Presentation is detailed, resolving, and exhibits suitable micro-detail and texture. Not necessarily ahead of Ragnarok here, but in the same ball-park. Switching between SS and Tube+ mode really doesn’t change my evaluation either; sonics become a bit richer and a tiny bit sweeter in Tube+ mode, but that doesn’t come at the expense of detail.

It’s worth noting that the Pro iCAN doesn’t cover up any warts from your source (gear or software). Don’t be tempted to think putting it in either of the Tube/Tube+ modes will make it more forgiving – it really won’t.

Another interesting point here is that, the iCAN will out resolve Ragnarok if you don't run the Schiit amp balanced in and out.

Bass:

Weight, authority, articulation and depth are all handled with ease. Paired with the Abyss, it really shows where JPS’ product excels (bass articulation – as the LCD-4 plays deeper, but with less resolution). Little, to nothing, is lacking here. Compared with the best … say, serious, pure and high-power-tube amplification, only “slam” is very-slightly limited.

Ragnarok exhibits a little more slam in the lower registers. The WA5-LE even more so. But I can’t describe the iCAN as in anyway “lacking” here. It’s probably as good, or better, than most other options. And, going on distant-memory-alone I’d say it’d handily beats the Moon 430 here (I’m not that much of a fan of that unit, to be honest … it’s good … but I think VERY over-priced).

Interestingly, for me at least, Lyr 2, with stock tubes, also meets or beats the iCAN in terms of bass-SLAM, though not in articulation. And that is, for me, where Lyr 2 w/ tubes ceases to seriously challenge the iFi unit.

Mids:

Sonorous, lucid and musical.

Yes, the WA5-LE with Takatsuki 274B and 300B does it better … it’s also several times the price.

Things, here, are directly comparable to Ragnarok. There are differences, to be sure, but evaluating the whole, you’re making minor trade-offs in either case. In pure solid-state mode, I’d give the nod to Schiit’s amp – I think it’s more convincing there. But … I’m a tube-guy, fundamentally, and personally I’d spend more time with the iCAN in Tube+ mode and the timbral warmth/richness, while clearly artificial, is quite seductive.

If you’re more of a purist, or a running cans with richer mids (say, Audeze’s LCD series) Ragnarok is a better deal here.

Regardless of whether I paired things with the LCD-4, Utopia, or Abyss, I’d have to call it as a resolutely impressive rendering.

Treble/Highs:

Smooth, detailed, and clean/pristine … and if I had to characterize it specifically then I’d say that if/where the treble deviates from that it is more in the direction of “sheen” than “steel” in solid-state mode. This is more natural in Tube mode and quite rich and seductive in Tube+ mode.

I could get lost here very easily.

Dynamics:

Excellent, both at the macro and micro level.

It’s very easy to follow the decaying modulation of a single string as it ebbs into nothing, or the subtle changes in volume as a brush crosses a cymbal. Emotionally-driven micro-changes in volume that you hear in a performer’s voice as it wavers slightly with what they’re feeling is portrayed clearly. This thing is capable of great dynamic subtlety. And then it’s able to turn around and make you jump with large swings in big orchestral passages, or rattle your head with ultra-fast electronic “percussion”.

The only negative here is that, initially, the slightly darker presentation compared to Ragnarok or Jotunheim, can give a slight false sense of compression. And this wasn’t a consistent thing.

Transient Response & Control:

I mentioned the degree of grip the Pro iCAN exhibits over the drivers in the section about power, earlier on, and it really does an excellent job there. This is a particularly good thing because the transient response realized by this little amp is quite surprising and it’s not hard to imagine driver overshoot being a problem if there was less grip.

Start-stop of electronic instruments is instantaneous when it is supposed to be, without getting in the way of the proper decay of notes in acoustic piece. And these notes emerge from a completely black backdrop …

Background:

How black is that background?

Blacker than the inside of a coal-miner’s colon, after a barrel of Guinness - in the dark***.

With my full-size cans, in low-gain, and at full-volume, I hear no hiss at all. The same is true in medium gain. All amplifiers exhibit some noise, but to find it here you must put the thing in high-gain and wind the volume up to the point where you’d destroy your hearing (And possibly your headphones) in very short order.

With IEMs, specifically the Shure SE846 here (9 ohms, 114 db SPL/mw), there’s absolutely no noise or hiss in low-gain at full volume, and the merest hint at full-volume in medium gain. Again, you can hear hiss in high-gain here, and it starts a bit earlier on the dial than with full size cans, but since low-gain is more than enough to drive these to hearing-damage inducing levels, this is a moot point.

The above statements hold true for all the operating modes … and, curiously, Tube+ mode is actually quieter than when the unit is in SS mode.

Other Thoughts/Comments:

Value:

Evaluating where this thing sits from a value perspective is complicated by the fact that it will have different levels of utility and capability depending on the prospective buyer.

If you’re a single-headphone, single-source type of listener then it’s a very different proposition than to someone that has a stable of headphones, wants to drive some with tubes and others with solid-state, needs a pre-amp and that might also desire some level of bass correction and sound stage manipulation/cross-feed.

In the first case, unfortunately, I think the value proposition falls a bit out of whack compared to the competition.

One of the reasons I was anxious to get my hands on a Jotunheim last week was so I could see how close it was possible to get to the flexibility of the Pro iCAN in other ways. In this case, I wanted to compare the iFi unit to the combination of Jotunheim and Lyr 2 both from a sonic perspective and from one of value.

View attachment 6433

The detailed specifics of those comparisons will have to wait for a follow-up post, but I won’t make this a complete cliff-hanger:

If you’re running top of the line transducers, the Pro iCAN steals the show there. It doesn’t run away with it though. In solid-state mode the difference between Jotunheim is not that big. The best way to describe it is that it’s a bit less “in your face” than the Schiit amp. It IS a lot more convincing than Lyr 2 (with tubes), and still ahead when running with LISST, and the differential here is a fair bit wider than the SS vs. Jotunheim state of affairs.

That’s a long winded way of saying that, if you want that last few-percentage points of performance, you’ll find them here – IF your cans are good enough … but they come at a cost.

The Pro iCAN is $1699 … a Jotunheim + Lyr 2 is $898, and you could add a Valhalla 2 if you wanted tube-presentation with more resolution and delicacy than the Lyr 2 will give you, and still be $500 ahead. And you can step into it over time.

That’s a tough call.

With “lesser” headphones, and if you don’t value the convenience of having all of those signatures and capabilities in a single, compact, box, the Schiit amps offer better value and probably indistinguishable performance. With TOTL cans, you’re going to notice, mostly, and are probably better served with the iFi unit.

The value proposition is something to consider, for most here, I think.

Power Supply:

I meant to touch on how the Pro iCAN is powered. This is more of academic interest, I expect, but if you're looking at this as a transportable amp, you'l want to be aware that it uses an external power-brick to feed it. It's a 15v/4A unit, which iFi denotes as an "iPower+" unit. It's about a fifth, maybe a quarter, the size of the amp itself.

You can technically use any sufficiently alternate power-supply if you're so inclined. It's a standard barrel connector, so that is not going to be that hard to do.

The PSU is a high-frequency (1.2 MHz) switch-mode unit with internal power-filtering and, as typical with iFi's products, some of the technology used in their other, similar products.

On one hand, I'm not keen on external PSUs. On the other, that fact that its an SMPS means that a) I'm glad it's outside the main chassis and b) it offers a chance to use something else if you're SMPS-averse (they're not my preference, by default, but the proof is in the pudding).

Summary:

I thoroughly enjoyed the Pro iCAN with all of my headphones.

So much so that I bought one.

I find it a particularly enjoyable combination with the Focal Utopia and seem to spend most of my time using it in Tube+ mode.

And, to that end, it’s going to spend it’s time married to my 2nd pair at one of my other homes. It’s a super convenient, and very high-performing, combination and much more practical than duplicating my main listening-rig (which includes a WA5-LE and a Ragnarok to cover both SS and tube duties) there.

It’s strong on the technicalities while remaining a thoroughly enjoyable, involving and emotive listen. I was very skeptical about its performance coming into this, particularly given my general thoughts on iFi Audio at the time, but that skepticism didn’t last very long.

X-Bass might be useful to some people, with some music, but it is not something I will, personally, use. 3D+ might get a bit more use with the Utopia in some, limited, scenarios, but neither feature is much of a factor for me.

Yes, the question of value is a serious and unavoidable one – Schiit’s Jotunheim is awfully close to the Pro iCAN in solid state mode, and it’s really only a little refinement, a hint of resolution and a less forward-presentation that separates them sonically, which is entirely remarkable since the Jotunheim is a fraction of the iCANs price.

If you’ve been interested in the Pro iCAN, I can’t think of a good reason not to give it a serious audition. But I will say that you really should look at the Jotunheim (or combination of Schiit amps) at the same time if you don’t need the all-in-one solution or only want solid-state.

In fact, my “day job” office rig is going to be just that … a Jotunheim and Lyr 2 (with tubes), driving my LCD-2.2c and one of my pairs of HD-650:

View attachment 6434

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*Maybe not.
**The Pro iDSD currently features a gestation period that rivals Magrathean planet-building.
***Not speaking from personal experience.
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@Torq Did you ever hear HD 800 S bass distortion using X-BASS? Jude has measured a couple of HD 800S's and he said that wasn't the case. I'm about to get one but not sure about this 2nd order harmonic distortion thing.

purr1n · Jul 8, 2019

Read this: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/hd800-and-hd800s-distortion-analysis.5670/

On a subjective basis, HD800S sounds different than HD800 bass.

ufospls2 · Sep 29, 2019

Relaxing with Milo

Hey Guys,

Today we are talking about an absolute Swiss army knife of an amplifier, the iFi Audio Pro iCAN. Not only does this amp sound great, it can do pretty much….everything!

iFi Audio is a British company that was founded in 2012. It is a subsidiary of AMR Audio, which has a long history of making stereo equipment. iFi has always struck me as a company that focuses more on headphone and personal audio, but that does seem to be changing lately, and they are branching out into other areas (see the iFi “Aurora” all in one for an example of this.) Their products are innovative, and seem to prioritise functionality as well as sonic performance.

The “Pro” line up launched with Pro iCAN that we are talking about today, but has since seen the introduction of the iESL (for electrostatic headphones) and the Pro iDSD DAC (which I will be talking about in a new review in a few days, another great bit of gear.)

The Pro iCAN, which I will just refer to as the iCAN from here on out, is a small desktop sized amplifier. It features, not one, but two true tube modes, as well as a fully solid state mode. Talk about flexibility! You can switch between these modes on the fly with a flip of the switch, and it takes about 5 seconds for each mode to engage. The iCAN also features the best implementation I have heard of iFi’s “XBass” feature, as well as their take on crossfeed, the “3D” feature. I didn’t use the “3D” feature too often, but it does work well on some tracks, and the “XBass” feature is a tasteful boost at three different levels. I think it really depends on the headphones you are using when it comes to determining which of these levels and features you will want to use, and of course, your personal preference will play a role as well.

Almost every connection you can think of!
The iCAN is a bit of a mini powerhouse, it doesn’t take up much space, but it puts out 14,000mw at peak output levels, and with its 3 gain settings, can run everything from sensitive IEMs, to the Hifiman Susvara and HE6. Not many amps can boast such flexibility. Now, if you try to listen at enthusiastic levels, with both the “XBass” and “3D” features on with the Susvara or HE6, the amp will likely go into protection mode as it is starting to struggle, but apart from that it will have no troubles driving them.

I think the iCAN has a similar sound signature across its three output modes, SS, Tube, and Tube +. The two tube modes are noticeably different from the SS mode, but they seem to maintain a similar sound signature and are not warm and gooey as some people expect tubes to be. The two tube modes seem to round off the edges of notes and make things a bit easier to listen to, but it will really depend on your headphones and preferences as to which mode you will prefer. I ended up using Tube mode with my Abyss, but SS mode with the Susvara. With something like the Focal Utopia, I could see Tube mode being used, and with the ZMF Eikon, maybe SS mode. The flexibility the iCAN offers, again, is tremendous.

I would describe the Pro iCAN as a fairly neutral sounding amp, perhaps leaning to colder and clinical at times, but not in a bad way, its just not a warm, fuzzy, and thick sounding amp.

The iCANs technical performance was quite impressive, from dynamic swings to detail rendering. It perhaps doesn’t make the Susvara and hard to drive headphones slam as hard as a speaker amp, but it has no troubles powering them, and does more than an acceptable job at bringing out the positive qualities of said headphones.

I tried comparing the iCAN to my iDSD Black Label, which is also made by iFi. The Micro iDSD BL is a fantastic transportable all in one unit, I really love it. However, perhaps it is not fair to compare it to a standalone desktop amp, but as both units are made by iFi I gave it a shot. As an amp only, the Pro iCAN, apart from being what seemed like infinitely more powerful, was more detailed and neutral sounding. The Micro iDSD seemed to have a tiny bit bloom that the Pro iCAN did not, as well as less detail. I still hold the Micro iDSD BL in very high regard as a transportable all in one, but its amp section was indeed beaten quite handily by its big brother. No surprises there I suppose.

iFi Audio has come up true Swiss army knife of an amp with the Pro iCAN, and it really doesn’t do anything wrong! It can power sensitive IEMs without hiss, it can power most of the hardest to drive headphones on the market, it has bass enhancement and crossed implementations, and is both a SS *and* tube amp. I think it sounds fantastic, especially for the sale prices I have seen it available at on occasion (about $1299USD, and about $1000USD used.) I have even seen one unit sell for $850USD! At these prices, this amp is not only an excellent recommendation, but is a very solid value compared to some of the other options on the market.

With a tower of planar goodness!
The iFi Pro iCAN gets a very thorough recommendation from me, especially if you are looking for “one amp to rule them all.” I could see this amp being a reviewers dream come true, as it is so truly flexible. Great job and congratulations to the team at iFi for creating such a stand out product. I really enjoyed my time with the Pro iCAN, and to this day, consider purchasing one on occasion, even though I don’t truly need it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this review.

Nikolas Jody · Jul 10, 2020

what do you think is a good source for this amp, im currently still using my chord mojos

purr1n · Jul 11, 2020

How do you like the pairing with Chord Mojo? Impossible for anyone to give you a personal recommendation without knowing what you like, what your preferences are, what headphones, etc.

Is there anything wrong with the sound of the existing combination? Is there anything you would like to be better?

ShaneD · Dec 19, 2021

I love this amp. I bought it used a few months ago. At first it wasn't a huge revelation. When it came in I was already using a Little Dot MKIII, a Violectric V220 and a Monoprice Liquid Platinum.

I owned an iFi MICRO Icann SE a few years ago and was quite impressed with the bass boost and 3D functions on it. I bought it for my first foray into Sennheiser, the HD6XX's. When I sold them on, I sold the AMP.

A few years later I read about this one, but the price was overwhelming to me. Recently I found a used one that was selling for half of the full price (retail, plus taxes). I did some reading and decided to jump in for two reasons:
1) I am a headphone hoarder and I thought it could work with many different types of headphones.
And
2) I thought that maybe I could cut down on my amp collection.

Headphone wise, I find it Amazing with much of my collection. It Drives the HE6se V2's wonderfully with lots of bass boost and 3D added. I use tube mode with mid-gain and can't go past 10:00. It also drives the T60 Argons beautifully. They really love the bass boost as they seemed a bit bass shy, to my ears.

On the flip side I enjoy this amp with my Grado GH2's and LSA HP-2's with a little bass boost added. Low gain and you can't go much past 9:30.

I sold the Little Dot MKIII as it just wasn't special enough. I am now wondering about the LP. In the coming weeks I will run my Elex's and HD660's through the iCAN more to see if they are a good fit. In the past I have preferred those on the LP.

I am a quiet listener, but I love the almost unlimited power, at least in my case. I also love the flexibility. I think perhaps moving forward I can get the best out if all my headphones using different tweaks this amp offers.

The only thing it can't replace, IMO, is the sweet, warm sound of the Violectric. I find it pretty neutral. I am mostly into fun headphones and warmish amps, but this units abilities are winning me over.

iFi audio · Dec 19, 2021

ShaneD said: ↑

1) I am a headphone hoarder and I thought it could work with many different types of headphones.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's one of key points why folks who own multiple cans consider Pro iCAN. Thanks!

iFi audio · Jul 19, 2022

ufospls2 said: ↑

Relaxing with Milo

Hey Guys,

Today we are talking about an absolute Swiss army knife of an amplifier, the iFi Audio Pro iCAN. Not only does this amp sound great, it can do pretty much….everything!

iFi Audio is a British company that was founded in 2012. It is a subsidiary of AMR Audio, which has a long history of making stereo equipment. iFi has always struck me as a company that focuses more on headphone and personal audio, but that does seem to be changing lately, and they are branching out into other areas (see the iFi “Aurora” all in one for an example of this.) Their products are innovative, and seem to prioritise functionality as well as sonic performance.

The “Pro” line up launched with Pro iCAN that we are talking about today, but has since seen the introduction of the iESL (for electrostatic headphones) and the Pro iDSD DAC (which I will be talking about in a new review in a few days, another great bit of gear.)

The Pro iCAN, which I will just refer to as the iCAN from here on out, is a small desktop sized amplifier. It features, not one, but two true tube modes, as well as a fully solid state mode. Talk about flexibility! You can switch between these modes on the fly with a flip of the switch, and it takes about 5 seconds for each mode to engage. The iCAN also features the best implementation I have heard of iFi’s “XBass” feature, as well as their take on crossfeed, the “3D” feature. I didn’t use the “3D” feature too often, but it does work well on some tracks, and the “XBass” feature is a tasteful boost at three different levels. I think it really depends on the headphones you are using when it comes to determining which of these levels and features you will want to use, and of course, your personal preference will play a role as well.

Almost every connection you can think of!
The iCAN is a bit of a mini powerhouse, it doesn’t take up much space, but it puts out 14,000mw at peak output levels, and with its 3 gain settings, can run everything from sensitive IEMs, to the Hifiman Susvara and HE6. Not many amps can boast such flexibility. Now, if you try to listen at enthusiastic levels, with both the “XBass” and “3D” features on with the Susvara or HE6, the amp will likely go into protection mode as it is starting to struggle, but apart from that it will have no troubles driving them.

I think the iCAN has a similar sound signature across its three output modes, SS, Tube, and Tube +. The two tube modes are noticeably different from the SS mode, but they seem to maintain a similar sound signature and are not warm and gooey as some people expect tubes to be. The two tube modes seem to round off the edges of notes and make things a bit easier to listen to, but it will really depend on your headphones and preferences as to which mode you will prefer. I ended up using Tube mode with my Abyss, but SS mode with the Susvara. With something like the Focal Utopia, I could see Tube mode being used, and with the ZMF Eikon, maybe SS mode. The flexibility the iCAN offers, again, is tremendous.

I would describe the Pro iCAN as a fairly neutral sounding amp, perhaps leaning to colder and clinical at times, but not in a bad way, its just not a warm, fuzzy, and thick sounding amp.

The iCANs technical performance was quite impressive, from dynamic swings to detail rendering. It perhaps doesn’t make the Susvara and hard to drive headphones slam as hard as a speaker amp, but it has no troubles powering them, and does more than an acceptable job at bringing out the positive qualities of said headphones.

I tried comparing the iCAN to my iDSD Black Label, which is also made by iFi. The Micro iDSD BL is a fantastic transportable all in one unit, I really love it. However, perhaps it is not fair to compare it to a standalone desktop amp, but as both units are made by iFi I gave it a shot. As an amp only, the Pro iCAN, apart from being what seemed like infinitely more powerful, was more detailed and neutral sounding. The Micro iDSD seemed to have a tiny bit bloom that the Pro iCAN did not, as well as less detail. I still hold the Micro iDSD BL in very high regard as a transportable all in one, but its amp section was indeed beaten quite handily by its big brother. No surprises there I suppose.

iFi Audio has come up true Swiss army knife of an amp with the Pro iCAN, and it really doesn’t do anything wrong! It can power sensitive IEMs without hiss, it can power most of the hardest to drive headphones on the market, it has bass enhancement and crossed implementations, and is both a SS *and* tube amp. I think it sounds fantastic, especially for the sale prices I have seen it available at on occasion (about $1299USD, and about $1000USD used.) I have even seen one unit sell for $850USD! At these prices, this amp is not only an excellent recommendation, but is a very solid value compared to some of the other options on the market.

With a tower of planar goodness!
The iFi Pro iCAN gets a very thorough recommendation from me, especially if you are looking for “one amp to rule them all.” I could see this amp being a reviewers dream come true, as it is so truly flexible. Great job and congratulations to the team at iFi for creating such a stand out product. I really enjoyed my time with the Pro iCAN, and to this day, consider purchasing one on occasion, even though I don’t truly need it!

Thanks for taking the time to read this review.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for this, Pro iCAN was designed to be as flexible as we could make it and we think that this is what makes it so special.

elwappo99 · Dec 26, 2022

A pretty old thread, but I've got an iCan pro for the second time and the second go around with a bit more knowledge I've started to appreciate this unit a bit more. I don't think I can add anything to the previous reviews and any deviations would be semantics. We're lucky to have such good reviewers here.

Two major changes this go around which really changed my opinion on this amp:

1. A linear power supply - A 15v power supply really elevated this unit into a higher category. Having heard the difference and looking over the internals, I would suspect most of the improvements in the "Signature" unit come from a better power supply. Much more detail and nuance on decays,

2. Swapping the tube - I was hesitant my first ownership go around to swap tubes. Second time around I'm more comfortable fidgeting with stuff. I quickly saw why ifi does not encourage tube rolling. Pull off only the screws on the back plate and wiggle the PCB out. It's a bit stiff. The tubes are socketed into a pcb which is held onto the main board by solder alone. I struggled a lot with getting the tubes out. The sockets were so tight, I thought the tubes might have been glued into place. So take wiggling out a very stuck tube from a connection held by solder and people are going to break it. Proceed with caution.

My first go around with this amp, I didn't really "get" the tube features. The tube settings didn't really add any warmth to the sound and so I basically never used it. Second go around I tried some tubes and was much more impressed.

1. GE 5670W (stock) - Strong technicalities, but no warmth and overall felt bright. I don't think burn in really changed the characteristics here
2. WE 2C51 - The recommended tube. As much as I like to be a contrarian, my tube rolling stopped here. It's not the most technical of the bunch, but it strikes a great balance of technicalities and warmth. This tube compared to the 6N3P has a bit looser midbass and midrange which gives it a very easy listening experience.
3. Bendix 2c51 - Basically the GE 5670W on a higher level of technicalities. Very bright but super detailed. Not the sound I was looking for.
4. Soviet 6N3P - If I didn't have the Western Electric, I'd probably go with this tube. They're dirt cheap and the only other tube I found that sounded warmer than SS. Technicalities aren't as strong as the WE 2C51 and the midrange is a bit dryer. The bass is overall a lot looser and it gets more treble extension up top than the 2C51. So it's warmer in the "loose bass" category where the WE is warmer in the midrange category. I'd be pretty happy leaving these tubes in.

Also to note, I had the amp reject a lot of tubes. There's some sort of protection circuit that would kick on and not use them. So if you can buy a bundle for a few bucks more I'd recommend.

With the newer "Signature" units being pumped out the original iCan is slowly creeping down in price and it's getting into bargain territory. Plan on the upgrades above and I think it's one of the best SS amps you can buy at the $1k price point.

Armaegis · Dec 26, 2022

I believe the signature comes with the iPower elite by default doesn't it?

Interesting to hear that note about the tubes, because I really did not like the stock tube and tube+ modes.

elwappo99 · Dec 26, 2022

Armaegis said: ↑

I believe the signature comes with the iPower elite by default doesn't it?

Interesting to hear that note about the tubes, because I really did not like the stock tube and tube+ modes.
Click to expand...

The Signature does come with their fancy dancy iPower. I suspect a lot of the improvements in the signature come from that power supply. I think at the $2k price point the "signature" version would run into the issues as the original release. Lots of neat features, but the barebones performance at $2k is a bit off.

Definitely on the tubes! I was pleasantly surprised when the Russian tubes clicked on and warmed everything up.

Armaegis · Dec 26, 2022

I agree. I wrote up a review for the Pro iCan somewhere ages ago, and yeah my overall impression was that I liked the amp, but didn't like the features because most of them made it sound "worse" to me so I didn't appreciated the value of it.

I personally would feel like the upcharge for the Signature is even harder to swallow. But... I do like matching stacked gear, and the iPower Elite does give enough power to let you daisychain the power from iCan to iDSD which twigs another happy part of my brain, and then you stack an iESL on top using power from the iCan with the special cable and it's a nice neurotic happy package with a single power supply.

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